Thursday, November 17, 2016
Vase Interpretation?
Based upon Dr. Castellani's presentation and your notes, evaluate the
projected black/red figure vase. Please decode through commentary.
Think about direction, borders, placement, and symbols or
manifestations. This blog response is a quiz and should be completed
during class today.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
22 comments:
That every single detail is thought through. Like placement of a person or god and what direction they face, how Athena's helmet is often merging into the border, the placement of godly symbols to represent and stand in place for the god, and how in every single one of there actions represented tells a story.
The person is Athena because of her helmet, shield and spear. Her helmet goes above the decorative boarder showing that she often goes beyond borders. She is in a fighting stance in between two chickens. Athena respects chickens because they will fight even when mortally wounded and they fight to kill, not just to wound.
Left side is for mortals, the right side is for the gods. The placement of the gods is key because they are taller than anyone else in the art. Most gods in the art have a certain symbol. Athena had a spear, there were olive trees and the flying shoes. The colors of the vases are generally the same color but the shape of them is always different. Each vase has a certain story that it is telling.
The character portrayed in the vase is Athena because she is holding a shield and spear and is wearing the arched helmet. She is facing the left side of the vase which is known as the mortal side. Her helmet is going outside the boundaries of the vase, this is because Athena was known to not be afraid to cross boundaries and she was not afraid to go above and beyond what was expected. In most vases that include Athena a part of her will normally go outside the borders of the vase and in most vases she will also be facing the left side of the vase. Athena is known to have more of a connection to mortals then most gods, that is why in most of the works of art she will be facing the left side.
The Crest Athena is wearing is a symbol of never ending wisdom. She holds a spear which is her main weapon of choice. she has a shield. Her placement tells a story of what she is doing and where she is, she is holding the spear in either a defensive position or an attack position, either way she is poised and ready to fight. Often times she is invisible in the images but, she pick someone she likes and she helps them to fight or do whatever they need too.
From the presentation, I noticed that some of the details in the Athena vase was thought out and translated into a single meaning. For example, when her helmet reaches and goes past the of the vase, it is interpreting trhat she respects hero's that go beyond what they ever thought possible.
Athena is on the vase and she is facing the mortal way and the arc on her helmet is reaching out of frame. She is also caring a shield and spear surrounded by pillars with roosters on top of them which is one of her main symbols used in Greek art.
Her helmet is in front of the border, perhaps showing her godly status as being above mere mortals, however her facing the left shows that she sides with mortals quite a bit even if she is so powerful, perhaps using her godlike powers to help in the betterment of humanity. The two chickens fighting also show her status as a god of war, as does her holding a shield and spear at the ready. However she is slightly off center, perhahps to show that even as a god she's not perfect?
I noticed that the top of Athenas helmet goes above the artistic border at the top because she strives to be above the norm and she wants to push the boundaries, there is a chicken because Athenas loves chickens because they will fight to the death and no matter how bad they are hurt they will never stop fighting
This vase probably represents Athena, and she has a shield with a Pegasus on it. She is looking left, because she favors the mortal side. She is to the right, because she is a god, and it appears she is walking to the mortal side. There's a possibility that she has her shield up because she is going to fight someone/something on the mortal side, or she is preparing to give that shield to a hero before or during their quest. Also, the border on the left side has some writing on it, while the border on the right side just has a black line. What does that mean? And lastly, Athena is holding her signature weapon, which is a spear.
Based on Dr. Castellani’s notes from Tuesday, I can evaluate this pot somewhat extensively. The first thing I see is a very tall, looming, impressive female figure. This female is looking to the left, which suggests that she is in favor of mortals as mortals are usually placed on the left side of Greek art. Along with that, there are a couple more clues that tell me who this female is. I think it is Athena based on the helmet that she is wearing, the large shield she’s carrying, and the spear in her hand. Athena is also known to favor mortals while other gods, like Apollo and Artemis, do not. In this picture, Athena is also not wearing any shoes which appears to be common in Greek art.
It is clear to see that Athena is the one depicted on the vase. This is shown in the way she holds the spear up and it defending herself with the shield. Athen also has a beautiful crest on top of her helmet that passes over the boundaries of the decorative area on the vase. This is to show Athen's encouragement to overstep the boundaries that are placed on us.
This vase depicts the goddess, Athena. It is clear that this is Athena because of her helmet, her spear, and her shield. On both sides of her, there are roosters each on one pillar. Athena is facing left which is the mortals side. It seems that she is fighting for the mortals and she has turned her back on the right side which represents the immortals. Athena is known for being wise. She might be using some metis in order to get the roosters to fight. She does this, perhaps, to get the roosters to work out their differences of being opposite. The pillars probably represent that both sides are strong but Athena is giving extra help towards the mortal side. Her helmet is above the designs of the pot which represents that she has no limits. She is able to do what she wants and she can determine the outcome. Bottom line, there are no limits to her power.
On the vase that is on the board, we see a woman his standing in the middle of it. We know it's a Goddess because she is on the right side or facing the left side. And From Tuesday Dr. Castillani stated that Athena or Artemis have spears and use spears, along with the heroes they favor. Already we can tell it's either Artemis or Athena. But it's obviously Athena because she has her crest on her shield along with a helmet. And in the corner I think you can see a olive branch.
Dr. Castellani presented to our class about red/black vases, and the art of the design. In the pictured vase, there is a tall woman standing in a sort of battle stance, who is depicted as holding a shield with a Pegasus on the front of it. She is also wearing a helmet and has a weapon in her opposite hand. This goddess could very easily be Athena, who was often seen wearing/having these symbols. There is also a form of Greek Writing on the side of the vase, which is not something we see alot of with these vases. The writing could be a symbol of the artist, or something related to the picture. The direction she is facing could also be symbolic of her power, as the gods/goddesses are often facing opposite of those who are lesser than them. The pattern is also even and neat, which is a common feature of vases.
This image is one that we have done in class before. You can see that it is Athena and she is facing the left side, or the mortal side. You can see her shield and spear in her hands, as they are classic items of Athena. I think that the professor that came in on Tuesday spoke of this one, pointing out the chickens and saying that in ancient Greece they would fight chickens and that the chickens would fight quite literally to the death. Maybe to symbolize the relentlessness of Athena's power. You can also see that her helmet is peeking out of the boundaries set by the artist, this in many visuals of gods shows divinity and also that gods have no boundaries or limits.
Painted on the vase is Athena. One way I knew this is because of her helmet. It stands tall above her head and even interrupts the neck border of the vase. This symbolizes that Athena has no limits. According to Dr. Castellani's presentation, the left side of the vase are for mortals while the right side of the vase is for gods. Because Athena is placed on the right side of the vase, she is represented as a divinity. In addition, all of the objects she is holding, like the spear and shield, illustrate that she is a strong goddess with wisdom and courage.
This vase shows the goddess Athena. You can tell because of her spear. Also the crest of her helmet. The crest of her helmet goes through the border. This shows that she is powerful. That she doesn't stay inside borders. Also she is positioned on the right side of the vase which shows that she is divine. But the fact that she is facing the left side ( the mortal side) means that she is sympathetic to mortals. The two chickens fighting shows that she is the god of war. She likes that chickens will fight until the death and won't give up.
Using tools gained from Dr. Castellani's presentation, I would say this image depicts Athena, most glaringly because was the one who assisted Perseus in his capture of the Pegasus so the symbolism of the shield indicates it is her. Additionally, few goddesses are depicted with helmets and shields as many are less engaged in direct battle and even those who are have their own distinct weapons and attire (IE: Artemis with a silver circlet/bow and arrow). Athena's weapon of choice is a spear which she is depicted with here. Her helmet passes the point of focus and subsequently where most mortal's heads would be which Dr. Castellani noted was a repeated trope in artistic depictions of Athena. Just past her body you can see lots of little snakes and therefore is likely carrying the head of Medusa, whose slaying is a story Athena is heavily involved in. She is depicted with a rooster which (perhaps this is reaching) may represent Pegasus and his relation to Medusa in that roosters are symbols of the sun. Like, word play. More likely though, is that the Rooster is sometimes said to be a symbol of Athena among other gods. The image is inscribed with the Ancient Greek phrase "TON AΘENEΘEN AΘΛON" which means "I am a prize from Athens". Athens is Athena's patron city that she won out over Poseidon for. However, this may just be an inscription from the shield I used for reference and not from the original artist.
This vase depicts the goddess Athena. We know this because of the spear which according to Dr. Castellani symbolizes Athena because the spear is her weapon of choice. The helmet with the crest on it also symbolizes Athena. You can also not snake heads in the picture most likely from the gorgon medusa who was slain with the help of Athena. Apollo is also somewhat depicted by the Rooster found on the vase. There is also a reference to Athens on the vase confirming out initial guess about Athena.
The woman on this vase is Athena. She is very tall and the crest of her helmet is above the border, a characteristic that symbolizes her ability to rise above boundaries in the eyes of the Greeks. She is also holding a shield depicting Pegasus, a creature which one of her favorite mortals, Perseus, created by killing Medusa. She is also holding a spear which is often her weapon of choice. Athena is seen facing to the left which is seen as the mortal side. This represents her affinity to mortals which many of her fellow gods do not have.
Everything written on the vases was to tell some sort of story. They were deliberately carved and engraved with meaning of the story in mind. Lines were supposed to keep your eyes in a certain direction and also helped keep the story aesthetically pleasing. Every character, god or goddess each have some sort of special item like a spear or a sword, adding these to the story also help the reader figure out who is who.
Post a Comment